


kai to the rescue

by dldld



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Cohabitation, Dog Trainer Jongin, M/M, Programmer Kyungsoo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 07:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15576600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dldld/pseuds/dldld
Summary: Kyungsoo – a perpetually single programmer – adopted a puppy, but the puppy turned out to be a spawn of Dog-Satan. He ends up appearing in this show called “Kai to the Rescue” and learns that raising a puppy was not so hard, especially when you have a hot professional dog trainer around… as your flatmate.





	kai to the rescue

**Author's Note:**

> I adopted a prompt (see end notes) from the No One Dies This Time 2016 Fic Fest and took some liberties about it. I also aged them up just a bit. This is unbeta-ed (all errors mine) but I would like to thank my friend C for listening to my plotting thoughts and giving me ideas and shoving me to the right direction. She’s the best.

“Patan! You sneaky dog! What did you do this time?!?!?!” Kyungsoo doesn’t even have the energy to yell anymore as he sees where his dog just peed. The newest addition to the list of damaged properties because of Patan? His Pororo plushie.

It’s only been three weeks since Kyungsoo took the toy poodle Patan home and yet the list of damages the dog has incurred is already a mile long. From peeing everywhere (even on his Macbook), to playing with the box of tissues, to the numerous times he ended up stepping on dog poop, you would think Patan has been his for years. He could probably blame his astigmatism for not seeing the bronze mines Patan leaves at her wake but he much prefers blaming the dog for not being potty-trained. And speaking of training, Kyungsoo has read countless of how-to articles, has asked around on both Reddit and Quora, has watched Youtube tutorials, but he just can’t seem to do it right. Patan is still a little bundle of energy and headaches for Kyungsoo. A cute bundle at that.

Kyungsoo wants to strangle his brother Seungsoo on the daily since he believes it’s all because of Seungsoo that he is suffering. He knew it was coming since Seungsoo and his girlfriend have been getting serious but now that his brother has moved out and left him all alone in their apartment, no amount of preparation would have ever been enough.

After moving in with his girlfriend and seeing how lonesome Kyungsoo is, Seungsoo convinced (more like forced) Kyungsoo to adopt a dog. His brother was worried about him being lonely, citing the dog as great company now that he’s living alone. It would also force him to go out and exercise since he’d have to walk the dog. Seungsoo knows how unhealthy Kyungsoo’s lifestyle as a work-from-home programmer is. Kyungsoo never goes out of their apartment except for when Seungsoo forcibly drags him out for errands or to go hang out.

Kyungsoo dials his brother for the nth time since he got Patan. “Hyung, seriously, Patan is the first daughter of Dog Satan. Why did you ever convince me to adopt a dog? Specifically, her???” Kyungsoo whines on the phone, not bothering to say hello.

“Well, hello to you too, my dear little brother,” Seungsoo answers. “You know what, maybe you don’t walk her enough. Maybe she has too much energy. Walk her, please. For her and your sake,” Seungsoo wisely advises.

“Hyung, I walk her twice a day! I also tried potty-training her. I read and tried everything but why is she like this? Can I return her? Is there a return policy for dogs?” Kyungsoo complains but he knows he doesn’t actually mean it.

“Soo, no one would believe that you would actually return Patan. You love her, despite everything. Remember when I showed her to you amongst all the other dogs? You only had eyes for her right from the start. She might be a piece of work right now but I’m sure you two will get along well in the near future,” Seungsoo placates the now resigned Kyungsoo.

“Hyung, I hate how wise and convincing you always are. I know, I know, I’m not really gonna return her. Just kind of tired of waking up in the morning and my first thought is now always: What did Patan do now?” Kyungsoo chuckles, because despite whatever Patan does, he’s still so very whipped.

“You know what, there’s this TV show where a professional dog trainer helps you manage and train your dog. Maybe I can get you on that show. What do you think? Let me work my magic,” Seungsoo says and Kyungsoo could practically hear Seungsoo’s mind working its gears.

“Hyung, please, no. I don’t want to appear on some show. I don’t want the entirety of South Korea to see my helpless self being lorded over by my dog. Hyung? Hyung, hey, did you hear me? No, I said no,” Kyungsoo pleads Seungsoo even though he knows the plan is already in motion.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna do it. Bye, Soo! I’ll visit soon!” Seungsoo immediately hangs up, leaving Kyungsoo slack-jawed on the other line.

***

It doesn’t even come as a surprise when Kyungsoo receives a call from someone called Kim Junmyeon, who introduced himself as the producer of the show “Kai to the Rescue”, that show Seungsoo was talking about where a dog trainer (named Kai, he guesses) helps the likes of Kyungsoo. Kim PD explained how they’ll install cameras on his apartment so they can observe Kyungsoo and his dog. Then Kai will drop by his apartment, where he’ll dissect and try to understand his dog’s actions, and then form a plan of action on how to train his dog. Kyungsoo is supposed to apply what he’d learned and Kai would drop by to check up on Kyungsoo and his dog’s progress, or help them out even more.

Everything comes as a shock to Kyungsoo. He didn’t even think of the cameras and entertaining people in his apartment. Kyungsoo is tempted to say no to the PD, reasoning that he didn’t sign up for this, that his brother was the one to blame. But he couldn’t, for the life of him, reject it too, knowing that Seungsoo worked hard to get him on the show. Besides, he really does need help. His apartment is always clean too, except for when Patan wreaks havoc, so it’s not like he has something to hide. Kyungsoo mulls it over and when Kim PD asks if he’s up for it, he says yes.

***

The day comes for the show’s crew to come over and it is all a blur to Kyungsoo. Kim PD comes to his house and Kyungsoo is surprised that the crew isn’t really large. There’s the writer Byun Baekhyun, the cameraman Park Chanyeol, and the lighting person Oh Sehun. He was expecting a flurry of activities that would encroach on his hermit lifestyle but aside from the house being louder now that there are people in it (so loud), the crew were kind and efficient. They’ve set up the cameras all around the flat and there were a lot. Kyungsoo goes around each room counting them all and Kim PD seems to have felt his apprehension.

“Don’t worry, Kyungsoo-ssi. We comply with broadcasting regulations. We’re not going to air anything private that happens in your house. All we will do is take the footage involving your dog. We will edit the week-long footage into something Kai can look into when he goes here, and you two will watch it together. We’ll then take reaction shots and film you. After the shoot, if you wish for something to be edited out, you can inform us. I hope this puts you at ease,” Kim PD assures Kyungsoo.

All Kyungsoo can do is nod and offer more refreshments for the crew. Surprisingly, Patan is nice to the strangers. Come to think of it, she’s always nice even with strangers. The crew all crouch down to pet Patan and Kyungsoo is touched how they seem to like his dog. Maybe they do genuinely love dogs and Kyungsoo feels assured that this stint on this show would really help. He signs the confidentiality and consent forms Kim PD have brought. _This is really it._

***

Kyungsoo goes on normally with his days. The cameras will record them for a week and every day, one of the crew drops by to collect the previous day’s footage, probably to scour it for content they could air, and to replace the SD cards. It’s funny (not) how Patan looks so collected when there are people around but shows her true colors when it’s only Kyungsoo in the apartment.

Seungsoo does visit Kyungsoo Saturday morning and at least he initially looked sorry when he saw just how many cameras were installed. “Sorry, Soo, I know you’re a very private person, bordering on being a hermit, and this doesn’t look like a comfortable situation. Sorry to have sprung this up on you,” Seungsoo bows his head, refusing to look Kyungsoo in the eye.

“You’re right, Hyung. I also didn’t expect just how many cameras were needed to film such a small space such as this apartment, but now we know the secrets of TV,” Kyungsoo answers, injecting mirth to his voice so his brother would stop feeling bad. The brothers catch up while watching previous episodes of “Kai to the Rescue”, simultaneously feeling bad and laughing at the poor dog owners. Seungsoo chides Kyungsoo that in a few weeks, he’d be one of them flailing dog owners.

“Hey, don’t you think that Kai guy is cute?” Seungsoo looks meaningfully at Kyungsoo.

“Of course he’s cute, hyung. Of course he has to look hot and handsome, he’s on TV,” Kyungsoo answers with a roll of his eyes. He doesn’t elaborate but Kyungsoo thinks Kai’s tanned skin makes him look even more of an Adonis. Plump lips, kind eyes, tall, dark, and with a jaw that could cut him.

“I didn’t say anything about Kai being hot and handsome. You’re putting words into my mouth, Soo,” Seungsoo’s eyes dance with glee as he catches Kyungsoo in that trap of his.

Kyungsoo whines and hits his hyung with a throw pillow playfully. “So what if I think he’s cute and hot and handsome? It’s a show about training dogs, hyung, not dating. Besides, look at me, if no one has dated me for the past twenty-seven years, then that’s not gonna change,” Kyungsoo says, trying to sound as if he doesn’t care but Seungsoo knows better. Seungsoo knows his brother does feel lonely.

“Soo, the reason you’re not getting any right now is because you don’t go out and meet new people! You meet people on the Internet, sure, but you don’t go form relationships there too! You’re always inside the house! Your only human interaction is with customer service agents, mostly with cashiers,” Seungsoo says to Kyungsoo as his eyes show concern, to which Kyungsoo promptly looks away from.

“Hyung, please don’t talk about what I’m getting or not, this is too awkward!” Kyungsoo stands up and escapes his brother, trying to get more beer from the fridge.

“No need to get me one, I’m going to crash soon. Where do I sleep, Soo? Is my bed still a bed or did Patan just turn it into her own queen-sized toilet?” Seungsoo yells to Kyungsoo as he walks towards his former room.

Seungsoo ends up sleeping over in his old room, which Kyungsoo turned into his office and Patan’s playroom. Kyungsoo was thinking of getting a flatmate but hasn’t gotten around to doing it yet until Patan’s not yet trained. Seungsoo agrees that it would be best to get a roommate when Patan has gotten her shit together. Kyungsoo wishes that’d happen soon since it’d greatly help him financially.

***

Seungsoo leaves the next day, and Kyungsoo’s days continue, with him being busy over a deadline. He holes up in his office, letting Patan reign over the rest of the apartment. He writes and debugs scripts the whole day, only emerging out of his deadline cocoon during mealtime, both to feed himself and Patan. The twice-a-day walks end up being just once a day and only a thirty-minute one at that versus the usual one hour. He feels bad for neglecting Patan but the deadline is near, not allowing for him to slack off even just a little. He doesn’t even realize it’s the last day of the shoot until the show’s writer, Byun Baekhyun, drops by to take the SD cards on Tuesday.

“Good afternoon, Kyungsoo-ssi,” Byun Baekhyun greets enthusiastically. "Kim PD wanted me to relay to you that we’ll be shooting here at your apartment, with Kai, next Tuesday. You’re free, right?” Baekhyun asks but Kyungsoo gets the feeling that he’s not really asking but merely informing him of the plans.

“Yes, I’m free and I’ll be here. What time does that usually start? So I can prepare beforehand,” Kyungsoo intones, his mind already populating his to-do list. _Fold the laundry. Vacuum. Groceries. Bathe Patan._ Kyungsoo is already overwhelmed and there’s still a week before the shoot. _Damn this deadline._

“We’ll just edit the footage and weave a story. I’ve already seen a bit. You’re going to be fine, Kyungsoo-ssi. I’d say you’d be one of our more popular guests too,” Baekhyun smirks while saying the last bit.

Kyungsoo’s eyes widens and he immediately wishes for the floor to swallow him. “Why? Because I’m the worst pet parent ever? Because I’ve been neglecting Patan? I didn’t really want to lock myself inside the room but I have a work deadline and I might not look like it but sometimes my day just revolves around Patan. I think you’ve seen it earlier this week, before this deadline took over my life,” Kyungsoo worryingly defends himself at the start but ends up resigned, looking down as he realizes his mistakes once again.

Despite Baekhyun’s reassurance that he is not the worst, Kyungsoo once again imagines just what that footage is gonna show. Him being an absentee pet parent to Patan. _For all of South Korea to see._ To say that he’s already feeling embarrassed and guilty is an understatement. Baekhyun excuses himself to leave and in the absence of another human being, Kyungsoo embraces the remorse flooding his body. The panic countdown to Tuesday also settles in and takes residence in his heart and mind. Kyungsoo picks up Patan and pets her, repeatedly saying sorry.

“Sorry, Patan. You don’t deserve a parent who sucks this much,” Kyungsoo whispers to the toy poodle looking up at him with bright eyes.

***

It’s another Tuesday and the cast and crew of “Kai to the Rescue” are en route to their guest’s apartment. Everyone except Jongin have been there, which is usually the case. Jongin asks pertinent questions for today’s shoot to their writer since he has had some guests talk too much or talk nothing at all. Aside from collecting footage of the guest’s dog, the crew is supposed to feel out their guest so Jongin knows how to approach them.

At twenty-six, Jongin considers himself lucky to be this successful, to be Kai. Host of his own show, which hasn’t been on air for long but has already a strong following. He never thought of being in the showbiz industry, happy to train dogs in his own practice, but he was once asked to guest on an animal show as a dog trainer. His university sunbae, an assistant PD of the show, had asked for the favor, since their original dog trainer adviser couldn’t attend. That episode ended up getting high ratings for the show, comments on his guesting videos flooded with how much people liked him. And here he is now, host of his own show, with his sunbae as his own PD.

“Baekhyun hyung, any warnings or tips for today’s shoot? Topics not to discuss?” Jongin inquires.

“Nah, nothing this time around. This one is an angel. Can’t say the same about his dog though,” Baekhyun chuckles. “Oh, I do have a warning,” Baekhyun ominously says.

Jongin’s heart drops. He was wishing for this shoot to be smooth sailing. It’s been a while since he had one in his opinion. He knows it’s work and work’s almost always difficult, but being a dog trainer on TV makes his cases much more challenging. He doesn’t even know how Junmyeon finds all these dogs and dog owners. “Oh no, what is it? Does his breath smell? Is he a hoarder? What is it?”

“Well… He’s cute. Super cute! So don’t drool too much,” Baekhyun has the gall to wink at Jongin as he drops this supposed warning.

“You say that about every single male in his 20s that goes on the show, you know. I’m not getting my hopes up,” says Jongin as he dismisses Baekhyun’s nonsense.

They arrive at an apartment complex in Anam, the crew a bit earlier than Jongin and Baekhyun. Junmyeon, Chanyeol, Sehun, Minseok, and Jongdae went ahead to unload and set up the equipment for the shoot. Baekhyun strides along with Jongin, guiding the latter since he doesn’t know where he’s going.

Jongin rings the doorbell of the unit Baekhyun stops to and he’s greeted by a man of shorter stature but with the brightest eyes he has ever seen. And that’s saying a lot since Jongin has always thought dogs have the brightest eyes.

“H-Hi, I’m Kim Jongin, also known as Kai. Nice to meet you and thank you for going on the show,” Jongin stops himself from staring and switches immediately to professional Kai, offering his hand for a handshake, which the other man takes.

“Hi, good morning. My name is Do Kyungsoo. Thank you for coming. Please, do come in,” Kyungsoo shyly says, trying his best to make eye contact with Jongin but failing. His eyes, cast downward, doesn’t see how big Jongin’s smile is. _He’s so adorable,_ Jongin thinks to himself.

“Hi, Baekhyun-ssi, nice to see you again,” Kyungsoo raises his head and looks at Baekhyun, who’s behind Jongin all this time, wearing a big smile after seeing Jongin stutter a bit after he saw Kyungsoo. Jongin breathes a sigh of relief when Kyungsoo doesn't see him smiling so wide.

Kyungsoo lets them in and Jongin sees the entire crew already setting up for the shoot. Since they’ve already known beforehand how the lighting in this apartment is, the set-up wouldn't take long. Minseok sits Kyungsoo down for his make-up session after he retouches Jongin’s, but Jongin thinks the man doesn’t even need it all that much.

Jongin looks for Baekhyun, since he's the only one who's not busy while Jongdae proceeds to outfit Kyungsoo with his mic. Jongin spots Baekhyun by the kitchen counter, munching on some chips.

“Hyung, he’s so cute. You need to edit out my heart eyes for him because I’m sure the camera caught it. I couldn’t help it for a while! Why didn’t you warn me?” Jongin is caught between whining and being mad at Baekhyun.

“I warned you an hour ago. It’s not my fault you didn’t listen, Nini,” Baekhyun patronizingly says, mouth full with chips.

Baekhyun and Jongin see Kyungsoo standing by the side, watching everyone else be busy, and they could feel his nervousness from a room away. Baekhyun pushes Jongin away from the counter and says, "Go talk to your guest! Make him feel comfortable. Do your job, Jongin. There'll be time for your personal agenda later on."

Chided, Jongin lamely retorts, "I do not have a personal agenda! I'm here to work!"

Jongin approaches Kyungsoo and with his big doe eyes, he really looks like a deer in headlights right now. "Kyungsoo-ssi, are you nervous? Erm, your glasses are askew," Jongin moves to point Kyungsoo's glasses, gesturing for him to fix it.

"Oh, thanks. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," Kyungsoo answers as he arranges his glasses on his nose bridge.

"Don't be. It's not a live show. We can edit it, or even do retakes if you stutter or what. For the first portion, we're just going to watch the footage the crew have prepared, and they'll just take reaction shots. Don't mind the cameras. Just watch yourself and your dog. Oh, wait! Where's your little sunshine? I haven't seen your dog!" Jongin mentally curses himself. _Jongin, do your job, right. You're a dog trainer and you're only now looking for the dog?_

"She is inside the guest bedroom. There were a lot of equipment being unloaded and set up a while ago, I didn't want her to be a hindrance. Do you want to see her?" Kyungsoo asks. Jongin notices that Kyungsoo is visibly more relaxed now. Maybe talking about his dog or tasking him with something takes his mind off the nervousness. Jongin files that tidbit for later.

Jongin follows Kyungsoo to the guest bedroom, where a brown toy poodle rushes to stand on its hind legs to reach Kyungsoo.

"Patan, sorry for not letting you out. They're almost done, we'll go out together in a bit, okay? This is Jongin-ssi, a dog trainer, and he'll help me with you!" Kyungsoo pets the dog adoringly as he gets to the dog's eye level.

"This is Patan, please take care of her well," Kyungsoo looks up at Jongin as he shyly says the words.

Jongin crouches to get closer to Kyungsoo's dog when he realizes the name of the dog.

“Your dog’s name is Patan?” Jongin incredulously asks.

Jongin watches as Kyungsoo's ears turn red from embarrassment. And his cheeks too.

“Oh, actually no. It’s actually Pat, short for Patricia. But then she started showing her true colors as the cutest spawn of Satan so I ended up just calling her Patan. Is that mean? Does she act out even more because of my nickname for her??” Kyungsoo panics and Jongin feels bad for finding it cute.

"No, no, nicknames are okay. It's kinda cute too," Jongin assures the other man.

Just then, Junmyeon comes knocking by the door. "We're ready. Are you two ready? Is Patan ready, Kyungsoo-ssi? You can hold her while you're watching the footage, but don't feel pressured to keep her by your side. If she wants to leave, it's okay. The lights are hot, even if we have coolers in here. Let's go if you're ready," Junmyeon informs Kyungsoo. Junmyeon just levels a stare at Jongin, which Jongin knows just means that he already knows what to do so he's not gonna say anything.

Jongin can feel Kyungsoo go into panic mode again though so he places a hand on the other's shoulder to calm him. "Just trust in me. I'll lead the discussion, just answer honestly," Jongin gives a small smile to Kyungsoo, which Kyungsoo tries to reciprocate. Jongin then pets Patan, who's curled up now in Kyungsoo's arms, and gives her a big smile. "Let's see why they call you Patan, Patan," Jongin chuckles.

Jongin leads Kyungsoo to his own sofa, which elicits a nervous snort from Kyungsoo, nervous, yes, but still a snort. At least the man can still find humor even when he's distressed.

The crew members are abuzz with activity but turn silent when Junmyeon announces something behind the camera.

"Cue, rolling in 3... 2... 1..."

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the exact prompt:
> 
> Prompt: kyungsoo —a single af programmer— adopted a puppy, but the puppy turned out to be a spawn of dog-satan. or so he thought. he ended up appearing in this show called "jongin to the rescue" and learned that raising a puppy was not so hard, especially when you had a hot professional dog trainer around  
> Rating: nc-17  
> Yes to: puppy cockblocking every now and then, other members as jongin's crew  
> No to: no kinky stuff please
> 
> I’m still a newbie when it comes to fic writing so I can’t promise an nc-17 rating once this fic is over but I’ll try! It'll be mature at least? I guess? If you enjoyed the fic, comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> You can also find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/_dldld) and [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/_dldld)!


End file.
